A film franchise full of known tropes

A recent TIME magazine article puts an existential question mark on our viewing preferences.

- KARTIK BHARDWAJ

The headline reads: Are you watching a movie? Or is it just content? The opinion piece delves into recent releases, trying to decipher the ingredients that go into a movie-movie. Is it about being released on the big or the small screen? Does it have to offer something fresh each time? It's definitely not about being extravagant and expensive or having to star Viola Davis. The article even steps into philosophical ambiguity: "You know it when you see it." Then what exactly is the mystical entity called movie magic made of? Spoiler alert: It's the mysterious bond the filmmaker forges with the audience. They are the last piece of the puzzle, the chemical X. "No film is real without you." I found myself unbothered, zoning out while watching Karate Kid: Legends. Coming out 15 years after the 2010 reboot starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, the film felt like a factory-line product, designed to catch hold of the contemporary young viewer. It's content with being just a nostalgia piece, desperate to replicate that oldschool charm. Everything's put together but